"Zack Kassian didn't enter training camp with any grand illusions about the season but with goals much simpler. For starters, he wanted to show the Sabres he was a good kid who was worthy of the first-round pick they spent on him, not some adolescent thug who was arrested after a bar fight. He was intent on proving that he was an honest, hard-working, hard-hitting player who could someday be an asset in the NHL. He was looking to prove how much his skating had improved, addressing a flaw when he was drafted. And he was hoping Sabres coach Lindy Ruff would lose some sleep while making decisions about him. "I wanted to show them what type of player they got," Kassian said Tuesday. "Obviously, the dumb mistake I made over the summer, my [reputation] probably wasn't the best. ... I just wanted to make a name for myself. I don't want to just be at the camp. I want to be good. I want to be noticed." Kassian has been very good, and the people in charge have noticed, and he is making a name for himself. Ruff mentioned him when rattling off a list of players he found most impressive in camp. He later used the word "dominated" when describing the physical winger's physical work around the net. Yeah, they've noticed. You can't help but look at the 19-year-old and fantasize about him playing in the NHL someday, perhaps someday soon. He stuffed explosive legs and good hands into his hockey bag before arriving last week with a natural aggression the Sabres already knew raged inside his muscular 6-foot-3, 226-pound frame. How many times over the past three years did you watch Bruins bruiser Milan Lucic terrorize the Sabres and dream about Buffalo getting its hands on a player like him? Well, this kid could be the answer. He's big and tough and has hands the size of catchers mitts. And he plays with a nastiness that's been missing for too long in these parts. It's all true, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Kassian still needs to learn the X's and O's that come with the NHL and rid himself of the inconsistency that comes with youth. He looked great the first few days but average Tuesday." http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bucky-gleason/article197305.ece
